Extension attachment for brake levers



Sept. 14, 1926.

' F. T. HUGHES EXTENSION ATTACHMENT FOR BRAKE LEVERS Filed Feb. 17, 1926 INVENTOR.

FEedrLskT v h BY v ATTO Patented Sept. 14, 1926-.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK T. HUGHES, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

EXTENSION ATTACHMENT FOR BRAKE LEVERS.

I Application filed February This invention relates to an attachment for the brake lever of an automobile. These levers are sometimes located in such a way that they are not reached with great convenience by the driver of the car. The lever to which my improvement is intended to be applied is located in a substantially vertical plane and is operated by swinging it in a front and rear direction. The lever is provided with a releasing lever which is spring-actuated to hold the brakes applied but must be pressed when the brake lever is to be released.

The general object of this invention is to provide an attachment for such a lever which will provide an extension handle or bar extending rearwardly from the lever and also includes an auxiliary releasing lever which engages with the regular releasing lever so as to enable it to be operated. The

extension handle or bar and the auxiliary releasing lever areattached in such a way that they extend substantially transversely to the direction in which the handle of the brake lever and the regular releasing lever extend, that is to say, the extension handle and the auxiliary releasing lever extend in a substantially horizontal direction; one of objects of the invention is to provide a very simple construction which will enable the extension handle to be readily attached in position with the auxiliary releasing lever connected with the regular releasing lever, and also to construct the attachment in such a way that the pivotal axis of the auxiliary releasing lever substantially coincides with thepivotal axis of the regular or main releasing lever.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described ier dinafter. all of which contribute to produce an efficient extension attachment for brake levers.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective illustrating the brake lever and its releasing lever in dotted lines, and illustrating my attachment in full lines secured in place on the brake lever.

Figure 2 is a plan of the blank from 17, 1926. Serial No. 88,82'2.

which my auxiliary releasing lever may be readily produced as a stamping.

As illustrated in dotted lines, 1 represents the brake lever of the automobile, the upper end of which terminates in the usual handle 2. On the upper end of the brake lever near the root of the handle a releasing lever 3 is pivotally attached, the said releasing lever having its lower end bifurcated so'that a pair of ears 4 are provided, which are pivotally attached to the lever 1 by a through-bolt or rivet located at the polnt 5.

The forward side of the releasing lever 3, which I call the main releasing lever, is 1 provided with a leaf spring 6, the end of which rests against the adjacent face of the brake lever so as to hold the releasing lever 3 at the limit of its movement away from the handle 2. The lower end of the releasing lever 3 is attached to a small pull rod or link 7 which extends downwardly to the latch or dog which is not illustrated but which latches the brake lever (with the brakesapplied) to the brake segment.

In applying my invention, I provide an extension handle, preferably in the form of a bar 8, and this extension handle is provlded with attaching means such as aclamp 9 in the form of a split collar which may be attached to the handle 2by a short bolt 10 and a threaded extension 11, which constitutes the forward end of the extension handle or bar 8.

On this attachment 9 I mount pivotally my auxiliary releasing lever 12. In order to accomplish this and to place the pivot for the lever 12 so that its axis substan tially coincides with the point 5, that is to say, with the axis of the pivot of thelever 3, I provide the clamp 9 with a downward extension or arm 18 which ext-ends around to one side of the lever 1. In securing my attachment in place I remove the usual pivot bolt or rivet at the point 5 and substitute a long pivot bolt or rivet 14 which passes through the extension 13 and secures the lever 12 in place, in addition to securing the. lever 3 in place. The lever 12 is preferably constructed at its forward end with two upturned cars 15, which lie on opposite sides of the lower end of the extension or arm 13 to which the lever is attached. The lever 12 is preferably formed as a stamping from a plate or blank 16 having the general characteristics illustrated in Fig. 2. This blank has an upwardly extending portion 17. In forming the lever, the body of the blank 16 is stamped so as to give it a channel form and so that it presents two upwardly extending flanges 18 and 19, from the latter of which the portion 17 extends upwardly,- this portion of the blank is then bent into the form of a tongue 20 which constitutes an integral extension of the flange 19. The upper end of this tongue is provided with suitable socket means to engage the lever 23. I prefer to bend the upper end of the tongue 20 so that it pro jects forwardly and slightly inclined to the horizontal plane, the forward end of the tongue being provided with a socket means to engage the main lever 3; tl'is may c0n sistof a slit 21 which can be slid over the end of the lever 3 when the attachment is being secured in place.

If desired, the end of the extension handle 8 may terminate in a knob 22.

If a brake lever has been provided with my attachment, evidently it can be operated simply by seizing the extension handle 8 and the lever 12; by pressing the lever 12 upwardly toward the extension handle 8, it will be evident that the end of the tongue :20 will rotate the lever 3abont its pivotal axis. The regular spring 6 of the main releasing lever 3 operates, of course, to return the lever 12 to its extreme depressed position when it returns the main releasing lever 3 to its extreme rearward position.

hat I claim is 1. An extension attachment for an automobile brake lever having a handle and a releasing lever, consisting of the combination of means tor securing the same rigidly to the handle of the brake lever with the extension handle projecting in a substaitially transverse direction with respect to the handle oi the brake lever, and anauxiliary releasing lever pivot-ally supported on the said attaching means, extending in a substantially transverse direction with respect to the handle of the lirst named releasing lever, said auxiliary releasing lever having means for engaging the first named releasing lever to operate the same.

An extension attachment for an automobile brake lever having a handle and a pivoted main releasing lever, consist'ng. oi the combination of an extension bar with attaching means for securing the same rigidly to the handle of the lever with the extension bar projecting in a. substantially transverse direction with respect to the handle of the lever, and an auxiliary releasing lever pivotally connected with theat: taching means on the pivot pin of theanain extension handle with attachingv releasing lever, extending in a substantially transverse direction, said auxiliary releasing lever having means for engaging the main releasing lever.

23. An extension attachment for an automobile braite lever having a handle and a main releasing lever, consisting of the combination (it an extension handle with a cla: 1p for securing the same to the handle the brake lever, with the extension handle n'o ectingin a substantially transverse ctionwith respect to the handle of the brake lever, and an auxiliary releasing lever pivotally supported on the said clamp, extending in a substantially transverse dire tion with respect to the handle of the main releasing lever, said. auxiliary releaslever upwardly extending having an i to gue with socket meansi'or engaging the, main releasing lever, to operate the same. *l. fin extension, attachment for an. automobile brake lever having a handle and, main releasing lever, consisting of the coma-tion of an extension bar with a-clamp a taching the same ri idly to the hanthe brake lever, with the extension leasing lever, and an auxiliary releasing lever pivotally supported on the said downward extension, on a pivotal axis substantially coinciding with the.- pivotal axis of the mainreleasing. lever, said auxiliary releasing lever having anupwardly project ing tonguewith socket, means for engaging the first named releasing. lever'tooperate the. same.

5. in extensionattachment for an automobile bra-ke lever having a handle and a releasing lever, consisting of the combinas tion of an extension handlerwith attaching means for securing the same rigidly to the handle of the brake lever with the exten sion handle projecting in a substantially, transverse direction with respect to the handle oi the brake lever, and an auxiliary releasing lever pivotally supported on the said attaching means, extending in a substantially transverse direction with respect to the handle of the first named. releasing lever, said auxiliary releas lever having a. channel shaped body with upwardly projectingside flanges, one of said 'liangeshaving an integral upwad extension with socket means for engaging the first named releasing lever to operatethe same.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 11th day of February, 1926.

FREDERICK T; HUGHES. 

